Philadelphia 76ers: 3 reasons to make a trade approaching deadline

1. Philly just traded for a star in his prime

Speaking of player health, Jimmy Butler is 29 years old, with six of his eight NBA seasons being at the mercy of Tom Thibodeau. To put Thibodeau’s antics into perspective, recall that Butler eclipsed 40 minutes a night for a good portion of last season with the Minnesota Timberwolves.

No one knows how much longer Butler will hold up; he’s suited up for 70 games in just two of his seven full seasons. Over the past five seasons, he’s averaged 37.6 minutes per game.

That hasn’t slowed him down yet, but it may sooner rather than later. I’m not going to jump ship quite yet, but it’s feasible (and likely) that Butler declines before the end of his forthcoming five-year extension.

Just like there was an onus to get a shot creator on the roster to cover for Simmons’ and Embiid’s limitations, there is now one to correct the depth issues. Butler is ready to win now, just like Embiid, and their futures are as murky as they are bright.

An important thing to remember is that the front office didn’t have much of a supporting cast before Butler got to Philly. The bench was atrocious then, and it continues to be bad now.

Instead of fixing these problems over the offseason, Sixers brass took until August to promote Elton Brand to the general manager position. Taking a lackadaisical approach to filling such a vital hole in the organization is unacceptable, and the current product is suffering as a result.

Simply put, you don’t trade for a guy like that, who is in his prime, just to “see what happens” with the roster. Brand better have something up his sleeve, or that trade will have been a waste.